It has no respect for age, gender or race. During trying economic times, many families are just one paycheck or serious illness away from poverty through no fault of their own.

For persons living in poverty, any expense is a hardship, and merely keeping a roof overhead is a strain. Like every other city in America, Pooler has its share of folks living in poverty.

But it also has something special, a program designed to ensure all families in Pooler have nourishing food to eat. Welcome to the Loaves and Fishes Interfaith Food Ministry of Pooler Inc.

On Jan. 22, Loaves and Fishes marked its first anniversary. The ministry began when Marti Stein was assigned to head the mission committee at the Christ Presbyterian Church in Pooler.

An elder at the church, Stein asked Linda Renton if she'd be interested in joining her on the committee. At that time, the church was running a small food pantry that wasn't particularly effective.

The two figured other local churches had their own small pantries that probably weren't all that effective, either. "We realized if we all got together, between us we could meet the needs of more people," Stein said. "We contacted other churches, and our first meeting was held in September 2008."

Renton's husband, Dave, is an active volunteer. A member of the board of managers at the Pooler YMCA, he was instrumental in obtaining the food pantry's current home at the Y.

He said he thoroughly enjoys working there. "You only get out of life what you put in," he said. "It's better to give than receive."

The Gateway Community Methodist and Morningstar Baptist churches were the first to join. The pantry originally was located at Christ Presbyterian's Church House on Quacco Road.

Once the first connections were made, the food pantry took off. "Dave has a running group," Stein said. "One woman in that group is Farris Smith, who's with Morningstar Baptist.

"She's a social worker and knows about social programs," Stein said. "Farris was valuable in getting the other churches on board."

Local businesses supported the effort, and churches with their own pantries offered advice. "We visited other pantries and took advantage of their experience," Stein said. "They were all very generous with their time."

More volunteers came forward. "We set our date, saying, 'Let's get incorporated and launch in January,'" Stein said.

Stein is a Realtor by day, and her enthusiasm for the food pantry carries over into other aspects of her life. "In real estate, you meet a lot of people," she said. "I've been very outspoken about this."

"I bought a house from her," volunteer Bonnie O'Leary joked. "If you buy a house from her, you have to join the food pantry."

But O'Leary is delighted to help out. "I've fed the homeless for seven to eight years in New York," she said. "When I retired, I wanted to do some volunteer work here, so I joined the pantry and the USO."

Today, the sponsoring churches are Abundant Life Lutheran, Christ Presbyterian, Gateway Community, Morning Star Community, St. Patrick's Episcopal, the Church at Godley Station, the Fountain Church International and West Chatham Baptist. The West Chatham YMCA is the sponsoring organization.

Loaves and Fishes is named for the Biblical story of Jesus feeding the multitudes. Stein serves as its president, and Renton is its secretary.

"I've wanted to do something like this for the longest time," Renton said. "I enjoy being with people and talking to them. I've met the nicest people here."

Bambi Toupin, a member of Gateway Community Methodist Church, is the vice president. "One of the things we talked about at Gateway was having a food pantry, but we had to table it because we didn't have a place," she said. "Two days later, I got a call about Christ Presbyterian starting this pantry."

These days, the volunteers are busy. "We hit the ground running," Stein said. "We were here before 10 a.m. today and haven't taken a break yet."

There are guidelines that must be followed. "We're a member of Second Harvest," Stein said. "We abide by all the rules of Second Harvest."

Recipients must meet income guidelines and provide proof they are a Pooler resident, a member of a sponsoring church or a scholarship recipient of the West Chatham YMCA. They also can be referred by a Pooler physician.

Above all else, the food pantry's clients are treated with dignity and respect. "The first time they come in, they fill out paperwork," Stein said. "That gives us an idea of what they are facing. The reason we do this is to see if there are other ways to help them."

Once they are accepted, clients don't need to worry about being turned away. "Some of the other food pantries help people for only six months," Stein said. "We don't put a limit on it."

Order slips are filled out to note special needs or requests, then the order is filled. The recipient is asked to drive up to the front of the building and a volunteer puts the food in the vehicle for them.

"When they visit the pantry, we make them feel comfortable so there is no embarrassment," Stein said. "They'll never have the embarrassment of putting the food in the car. We try so much to respect their dignity."

The volunteers are friendly with all recipients, taking time not just to give them food, but to visit with them. "By the time they leave, we're like old friends," Stein said.

Recently, the YMCA had a coat drive. When a young single mother with two small daughters arrived to get food, the volunteers made sure she also left with warm coats to fit the little girls.

On a recent date, the pantry had given out food for 13 households with 38 total people in them by 1 p.m. "Of those 38, 25 were children or senior citizens," Stein said. "That's a lot of kids and seniors.

"We have one young woman with children who has serious health issues," she said. "She's had multiple surgeries."

Because of storage limitations, all food given out by Loaves & Fishes is canned or dry. For meat and fresh produce, the pantry steers clients to the Angel Food Network, which offers frozen foods or fresh perishables at a low price. "That fills the needs we can't," Stein said.

Ninety percent of all food at the pantry is donated, and the rest is purchased through monetary donations. Donations of jelly, peanut butter, cereal, and canned meats, pastas and fruit juice are the hardest to come by.

"We do a lot of food drives," Stein said. "One thing we try not to do is get a lot of junk food. Our clients get real fruit juice, not a fruit-flavored drink.

Volunteering at Loaves and Fishes is an eye-opening experience. "Working here keeps everything in perspective," Stein said. "I can walk in here and think I have a problem, but by the time I spend two hours here, I don't know what a problem is."

The volunteers are hopeful that someday they can raise enough money to have their own building. That would allow them to operate a thrift store to help out with expenses of the food pantry.

"Our long-term goals are quite lofty," Stein said. "We want to be able to do counseling, parenting classes, a job service, all sorts of opportunities."

To raise money for Loaves and Fishes, Stein has become a Pampered Chef consultant in her spare time. She donates all proceeds to the food pantry.

"My goal is to earn $5,000 a year," Stein said. "That's a lot of spatulas."

Such creative thinking is required to keep donations coming in. "We're trying to encourage people to think of ways we can raise money," Stein said. "It's not hard to raise food, but it's not easy to raise money."

Age has nothing to do with giving. "Children can't stand to think about other children being hungry," Stein said.

Recently, Champ Hammond's parents held a birthday party for their son. The theme was football, but guests were told not to bring gifts, but instead to bring donations for Loaves and Fishes.

By the end of the party, a sizeable amount of food had been donated. One child brought 25 jars of peanut butter.

Now, a second child has decided to forgo birthday gifts and instead collect donations for Loaves and Fishes. "She started taking things out of her room, saying she wanted to give them to others," Stein said.

"I told my grandson, who's in St. Louis, about what Champ did and suggested he think about doing it at his birthday party," she said. "He's so excited, he doesn't want to wait until his birthday."

"One girl who was 14 or 15 wanted to volunteer, but we couldn't let her work here because she was too young," Dave Renton said. "So she went to her neighbors and passed out our flyers and collected food for the pantry."

A year after it all started, the volunteers are proud of the pantry. "It all started with two gals in a room," Stein said. "It's become a major effort. The need has grown and is going to continue to grow, and we're going to meet it."

More informationLive in Pooler and need help feeding your family because of a lack of income? The Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry is located at the West Chatham YMCA, 165 Issac G. LaRoche Drive in Pooler. Go to the front desk and ask for "Loaves and Fishes," and you will be directed to the food pantry.The pantry is open the third Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the third Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. There will be paperwork required at the first visit and you must meet income guidelines and be a Pooler resident or a member of a sponsoring church to qualify.Want to help out? There are three ways to support Loaves and Fishes: monetary donations, donations of food or volunteering.Items accepted include: non-perishable dairy products, canned meats, canned and dry meat alternatives such as beans, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, grains, boxed meals, canned and dry soups, breakfast cereals and condiments such as mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, jelly and honey. Also needed are drinks, including instant coffee, tea bags and canned fruit and vegetable juices. Donations of household items, including toilet paper, paper towels, diapers and can openers also are accepted.For more information, visit http://poolerloavesandfishes.org or call 912-349-4881.